Greece’s police, fire chiefs fired in wake of deadly fire

The Greek government announced Sunday that the chiefs of the national police and fire service had been fired and replaced by their deputies in the wake of a forest fire that killed at least 91 people near Athens.

The dismissed chief of Hellenic Police, Constantine Tsouvalas, had been in the post since February 2016. Sotiris Terzoudis had been head of the Hellenic Fire Service since February of this year.

The changes came a day after Greece’s public order minister, Nikos Toskas, resigned. Interior Minister Panos Skourletis took over Toskas’ duties overseeing Greece’s security services.

The death toll from the July 23 fire rose to at least 91 after the weekend deaths of a 55-year-old woman, an 85-year-old man and a 95-year-old woman, all with extensive burns. Authorities said 36 people, including one minor, remained hospitalized, six of them in critical condition.